Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1887-01-18
s. Ghosfiy Barge.

Tappehannoct, o. tbs Rapp2hannoek
River. ii noted throughput Virginia 10 its
supt :s.:t:ens Their goosis seldom take
tbe forms Of rlei aud pomfn. hawever, hut
find nor, ocmforfia sailing W. ana down
the ri9ez 10 vessels Tbe masa aaiasle 81
!tSsA :,h0ssig npparjtioos - 'ee Back
BaTEe !" Ihe :orerGnuer II ds:aoctal ic defeat.
Its hissotY j. r. follows
Snan afer lie ,y.r, whils ne ,;5moeTa;ic
psris fft5is Congros ionat Gistfia was in 2
stats o. comDieta Generalization, an elsc'
tiun ior Congressman came oG. che dis
i.lc5 bad always goGa democratic. aud Tap
pahannock wss considered ;he bsn-
aer democratic town. The democrats
war't into the campaign vigorously.
'Hen digbc before s!ection dey t9sy had
torchijeht procession, and hel1a mass meet
ine on the river bank The usual rcusiug
speeches were made, refreshments we're
plentiful, and Jolly tiule VAS aad geucsa!-
~ just at midnight, while the Democratic
| candidate was III the ;uiddi5 OF aD eloquent
peroratioa, u man in the audience shouted:
Look, fellows VIVA; is thai queer oou-
Germ going down the .iver?"
Eyerybody moved 20 the edge of The river
and peered into the darkness. Sure enough
there was e queer shaped barge moving
along slowly. Tors hes we're brought. and
by their light the people sew, CT flncied
.hey saw, . number Of gigantic negroes on
| the barge, daucing and making horrible
grimaces at those on shore. y dozen voices
hailed the strange vessel, bat racsivsd no
response 'rhen several boatmap pulled
out to see . hat the thing WAS. 10 4 half
| hour ;bsv returned With scared faces, d.
| Ill -.
some distance, wheu e suddenly Disappear
ed with s. yell of tianph froIa the crew.
Nine.tenths CT the residents of TapDahau-
mock were frmiy convinced that the barge
was gho9tly apparili9n snd pressged nGth-
ing good for the democratic party We'll,
when election returns came IN it was found
| that the republicans bad elected their man
by good majority. and chiefly through !6e
| large negro vote that had :jeen pOl!ed.
When the news reached Tappahannocs,
everyone said, Il told you 80, ;" ana nothing
was much talked Of for months GfterWGTG
except tho BLACK Barge"
Six lears ago it appeared again, ard was
followed by republican success once more.
| Then it was seen no more until last Noveyn
! Der, when it came forward 20 defeat Mr.
Croxton, the sitting member OF Congress.
This last appearance was about like thu
first. Dir. Croxton was addressing the Tap
pahannock people on the night OF Nov.
last, and was Interrupted by cries of 1.-THE
Black Barge u THE Black Barge !" Mr..
CroxtoD, who, Of course, took 20 stock in
the strange story of the vessel, tried to re-
gain the attention of the people and eau
toned them against being superstiti9us. but
all to no purpose. The meeting. which be-
gan with merriment ard enthusiasm, ended
in silence and general significant shaking
of the heads. Next day the Tappahannock-
ties went to the polls with gloomy counte-
nances and freely predicted Croxtons de.
feat. Two days later oil the returns were
in and it was announced that Ju6ge Bayley
Brown, republican, was elected by over two
thousand mojority.-N. Y. Sun.